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H&S News February 2002
| Title | Comments | Publication |
| Andrew T Mathews | Fined £300 under HASAWA 1974 s7. Supervisor injured driving FLT with known faulty brakes. Had previously driven the FLT and other drivers had reported the fault to him and reminded him immediately prior to the accident. | HSE Prosecution Case F120000394 (11/12/01) |
| Safety aspects of coast control on trucks. | Coast control on pedestrian operated industrial trucks is designed to allow the truck to roll to a stop when the steering tiller is released, instead of the brakes being automatically applied. | CRR362 Isbn 0-7176-2089-1 £10 HSE Tel:01787-881165 HSE Press Release E015:02 30/1/02 |
| Offshore notices go online. | The new HSE online service for offshore operations notices and safety notices replaces the present subscription system. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/hid/osd/notices/sn_index.htm and www.hse.gov.uk/hid/osd/notices/on_index.htm HSE Press Release E016:02 30/1/02 |
| New guidance to cut offshore lifting deaths and injuries. | Supplements existing guidance on the safe use of lifting equipment offshore. | HSG221 Isbn 0-7176-2100-6 £15 HSE Tel:01787-881165 HSE Press Release E017:02 31/1/02 |
| New chief diving inspector appointed at HSE. | Chris Sherman has been appointed Chief Diving Inspector at the HSE. | HSE Press Release E019:02 31/1/02 |
| AssiDoman Packaging UK Ltd | Fined £12,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Injured during routine maintenance on conveyor. Several similar accidents over previous 5 years. | HSE Prosecution Case F160000320 (10/12/01) |
| William Gabriel Ltd | Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Injured between drum and conveyor belt. No guarding, inadequate RA, training and supervision. | HSE Prosecution Case F100000398 (11/12/01) |
| Kyle Jones | Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Erection of a scaffold at over 6m. No guard rails, harness or lanyards. Lack of ladders, inadequate tying in. Not to NASC guidance. Earlier Prohibition Notice and advice. | HSE Prosecution Case F110000696 (11/12/01) |
| Karl Launchbury | Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Erection of a scaffold at over 6m. No guard rails, harness or lanyards. Lack of ladders, inadequate tying in. Not to NASC guidance. Earlier Prohibition Notice and advice. | HSE Prosecution Case F110000697 (11/12/01) |
| John Nicholas | Fined £3,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Erection of a scaffold at over 6m. No guard rails, harness or lanyards. Lack of ladders, inadequate tying in. Not to NASC guidance. Earlier Prohibition Notice and advice. | HSE Prosecution Case F110000698 (11/12/01) |
| Von Roll Isola Ltd | Fined £15,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 / PUWER 1998. Injured whilst using a slitting machine. Failure to maintain guards and protection devices. No information, training, supervision or instruction. | HSE Prosecution Case F210000340 (13/12/01) |
| Great Warley Forge | Fined £1,200 under PUWER 1998. | HSE Prosecution Case F070000315 (12/12/01) |
| Areahurst Ltd | Fined £500 under RIDDOR 1995. Failure to report a major injury following an accident. | HSE Prosecution Case F100000400 (12/12/01) |
| Cranswick Country Foods Plc | Fined £4,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Injured whilst operating a tray sealer machine. Previous advice on similar accident on same machine. | HSE Prosecution Case F140000257 (12/12/01) |
| Liam Evans t/a Able Plastics | Fined £2,000 under CHSWR 1996. New worker with no experience on roofs injured falling 7.5m through fragile roof light. No precautions for workers, or members of the public inside the building. | HSE Prosecution Case F030000358 (13/12/01) |
| Field Boxmore (GB) Ltd | Fined £750 under PUWER 1998. Injured using a vertical spindle moulding machine. The line manager had not received training for the safe operation and guarding of the machine. | HSE Prosecution Case F090000344 (13/12/01) |
| Key Country Foods Ltd | Fined £4,000 under PUWER 1998. On 1st morning an 18 yr old agency worker injured whilst using a bacon press. Inadequate training and poor maintenance of machinery. | HSE Prosecution Case F140000267 (13/12/01) |
| Bristol City Council | Fined £3,500 under PUWER 1998. Worker seen using a tractor drawn mowing machine with unguarded power take off shaft. Failure to maintain equipment and monitor procedures. | HSE Prosecution Case F010000458 (14/12/01) |
| K & C Machinery Ltd | Fined £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2 / WHSWR 1992 / MHSWR 1999. Injured falling 3m from the roof of a spray booth which was being used to store packaging. | HSE Prosecution Case F090000365 (14/12/01) |
| Blendex Food Ingredients Ltd | Fined £8,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Injured whilst using a ribbon blender. Inadequate guarding. | HSE Prosecution Case F190000320 (14/12/01) |
| LUL's safety 'lip service' lands organisation with a £225,000 fine - its second largest. | London Underground Ltd fined £225,000 + £15,687 costs. A signals operations manager forced agency workers to work with metal tools near live rails in dark, icy and wet conditions. Previous Prohibition Notice. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):8 |
| SRA unveils plan to rehabilitate the railways. | Almost 18 months late, the Strategic Rail Authority has published details of the £56b strategy for the railway industry. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):2 |
| Cape finally agrees to compensation. | Following a 4 yr asbestos compensation case by 7,500 people in SA, Cape plc has agreed a £21m out of court settlement. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):3 |
| New qualification under construction. | The Dipl Pt 1 in Construction Safety is a variant of the Natl Dipl Pt 1 in OS&H and is being piloted by NEBOSH and IOSH. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):4 |
| TUC calls time on drugs and alcohol in the workplace. | The TUC has published a new guide to drugs and alcohol in the workplace and is urging the development of policies to deal with the problem. | 'Drunk or disordered' TUC Tel:020-7467-1294 Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):10 |
| New EU rules on major accident hazards in the pipeline. | The new Seveso II Directive (92/82/EC) will extend the scope of the current Directive on the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents. | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):12 |
| Back to school. | The effective teaching of H&S to industry professionals during their training. (J Anderson) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):23-24 |
| Balancing act. | The benefits of employee assistance programmes. (C Miller) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):26-28 |
| Taking the bully by the horns. | The specific issues of bullying including who bullies, who is affected, the forms it can take and how it can be effectively dealt with. (J Long) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):30-33 |
| A new class of chemical. | The implementation into UK law of the Solvent Emissions Dir in 2002 will affect a number of industries, particularly surface cleaning. (S Walter) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):34-36 |
| Happy together? | The problems and legislative framework of compatibility between various items of PPE. (D Yelland) | Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):42-44 |
| New lighting code issued. | The Soc of Light & Lighting and the Chartered Instn of Building Engrs have published the new 'Code for Interior Lighting'. | Available on CD-Rom. Internet:www.cibse.org Safety & Health Practitioner 2002 20(2):61 |
| European clampdown. | EU countries have developed a range of schemes to help employers reduce accidents on their premises, 22 of which are available on the website. | nternet: http://agency.osha.eu.int/publications/ reports/workaccidents/ RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Bulletin 2002 31(1):10-11 |
| Seven men die in seven days. | Improved site safety urged after one week in January when 7 men were killed in 6 different accidents in various sectors of the construction industry. | Construction News (6750) 24/1/02 |
| HSE warns over buried electrical services following £10,000 fine for unsafe system of work. | Octain Construction Ltd fined £10,000 + £5,000 costs. 17 yr old injured whilst using a pneumatic breaker which struck a live 11Kv electric cable near an electrical substation. | HSE Press Release E008:02 16/1/02 |
| HSE and SEPA publish final report on Dounreay safety audit. | Last of a series begun in 1998 and contains the Site Restoration Plan of 1,500 activities needed to complete decommissioning of the site. | Internet:www.hse.gov.uk/nsd/auditfin.pdf HSE Press Release E009:02 22/1/02 |
| HSE publishes 'encouraging' new offshore hydrocarbon releases statistics. | Report of all hydrocarbon releases notified to HSE from 1/10/92-31/3/01. | nternet: www.hse.gov.uk/press/2002/e02014.htm HSE Press Release E014:02 28/1/02 |
| Jet speed research in new HSE reports alongside chemical and gas studies. | Research reports addressing the problems of the interaction of gas jet releases in industrial environments, including chemical plants or oil rigs. | CRR396 CRR403 CRR338 CRR352 Internet:www.hse.gov.uk/research/content/crr/ HSE Press Release E018:02 1/2/02 |
| Stress to be focus of Euro Week for Safety and Health 2002. | This years European Week for Safety and Health starts on 14/10/02 and the HSE will launch an action pack in May. | HSE Press Release E020:02 4/2/02 |
| HSE confirms white asbestos remains a threat. | White asbestos (chrysotile) will be included in new rules coming into force in 2002 requiring those responsible for commercial buildings to manage any asbestos in the premises. | 'Managing asbestos in premises' HSE Tel:01787-881165 HSE Press Release E010:02 5/2/02 |
| Protective aprons for drop forge operators. | Results of tests assessing various types of aprons for protection against drop forging projectiles. | CRR395 Isbn 0-7176-2233-9 £10 HSE Tel:0178-881165 HSE Press Release E021:02 5/2/02 |
| Bristol City Council | Fined £2,500 under HASAWA 1974 s2. 16 yr old technician injured. Failure to provide instruction, information, training and supervision. | HSE Prosecution Case F010000455 (17/12/01) |
| R Marland | Fined £2,000 under PUWER 1998. Employer seen using a potato harvester with an unguarded PTO shaft whilst a worker was operating a tractor with an unguarded PTO. | HSE Prosecution Case F180000341 (17/12/01) |
| PA & M Wilkinson | Fined £2,000 under PUWER 1998. Worker seen operating an unguarded machine. Employer admitted knowing the machine was unguarded and in use. | HSE Prosecution Case F180000342 (17/12/01) |
| Neatham Farms Ltd | Fined £2,000 under PUWER 1998. Injured whilst using a soil elevator with unguarded 'v' belt. | HSE Prosecution Case F020000364 (18/12/01) |
| GKN Autostructures Ltd | Fined £7,000 under MHSWR 1999 / WHSWR 1992. Injured falling through gap in platform whilst unblocking overhead conveyor system 3.7m above the ground. No RA, or permit to work system. | HSE Prosecution Case F120000389 (18/12/01) |
| Phoenix Southern Ltd | Fined £2,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3 / GSIUR 1998. Installed an open flue gas boiler with flue not to required standards. Occupants at risk of CO poisoning. | HSE Prosecution Case F020000358 (19/12/01) |
| Triad Timber Components Ltd | Fined £6,000 under MHSWR 1999 / PUWER 1998. Injured whilst using a cross cut saw. No clamping mechanism, or guards, inadequate training. Failed to notify accident by quickest practicable means. | HSE Prosecution Case F030000349 (19/12/01) |
| JSR Farms Ltd | Fined £9,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Injured by in-running nip of grading machine. Guard deliberately defeated, no instruction or training. | HSE Prosecution Case F140000264 (20/12/01) |
| McIntosh Donald Ltd | Fined £25,000 under HASAWA 1974 s2. Killed whilst doing repair work on a machine which moved under power. No RA, or safe system of work. | HSE Prosecution Case F200000477 (20/12/01) |
| Humphrey & Stretton Plc | Fined £20,000 under MHSWR 1999 / PUWER 1998. Injured whilst clearing blockage in a spindle moulding machine. The machine was also used by a 15 yr old on work experience. | HSE Prosecution Case F080000287 (21/12/01) |
| W Weaver (Roofing Specialists) | Fined £3,000 under RIDDOR 1995 / CHSWR 1996. injured falling from a ladder whilst repairing a roof. Ladder poorly maintained, no preventative measures. | HSE Prosecution Case F120000399 (21/12/01) |
| BP fined £1 million after series of safety failings at Grangemouth. | The highest H&S fine in Scotland, after the failure of pumping equipment led to an explosion injuring a member of the public, and the fracture of a pipe which led to a fire. | Safety Management 2002 (Feb):4-5 |
| Safe tunnelling. | A British Standard for those involved in tunnelling projects in the construction industry. | BS 6164:2001 BSI Tel:020-8996-9001 Fire Prevention 2002 353 (Feb):4 |
| Chubb wins new CE-Mark. | The first UK manufacturer to be awarded the new CE-Mark under the EU Pressure Dir. All manufacturers have until 29/5/02 to comply with the Dir. | Fire Prevention 2002 353 (Feb):8 |
| Housing benefits. | Increasing pressure on local councils and landlords to fit sprinklers and smoke alarms in their properties. (R Gilbey) | Fire Prevention 2002 353 (Feb):14 |
| Fire covered? | The progress made by the UK government in modernising standards of fire cover. (C Reynolds) | Fire Prevention 2002 353 (Feb):17-19 |
| Work in progress. | Major changes contained in the draft revision to BS 5839-1 Fire detection and alarm installation. (C Todd) | BS 5839-1 BSI Tel:020-8996-9001 Fire Prevention 2002 353 (Feb):32-35 |
| Radio-therapy. | Recent developments in radio based alarm systems now have the ability to match wired products. (G Tilley) | Fire Prevention 2002 353 (Feb):42-43 |
| Why construction accidents happen. | An on-line database of dangerous substances in construction products within the EC. Includes guides for each Member State outlining the relevant national regulations. | Internet: www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/ construction/internal/dangsub/dangmain.htm RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2002 32(2):3 |
| 3M produced guide to the new Roads and Street Works Act 1991 - HV clothing. | This is the 1st revision for 8 years and affects the rules governing HV clothing worn by people working on LA roads. | Scotchlite. Tel:0870-608-0077 RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2002 32(2):5 |
| Process industry fundamentals. | An IChemE series of training CD-Roms to improve workers understanding of a range of processes. | IChemE Tel:01788-578214 Internet: www.icheme.org/ RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2002 32(2):7 |
| Back pain six times higher in those who drive for work. | Chartered Soc of Physiotherapy leaflet intended to combat the risk of back pain in people who drive for their work. | Internet: www.csp.org.uk RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2002 32(2):12 |
| In case of doubt. | The results of 3 appeals in important cases for safety management. (R Mackmurdo) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2002 32(2):8-11 |
| Labour inspection: the global view. | What the Int Assoc of Labour Inspection is doing to ensure that labour inspection works in practice. (S Pantry) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2002 32(2):20-21 |
| Manual handling. | The legal requirement on employers to conduct manual handling RA, including a checklist. (P Ellis) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2002 32(2):30-32 |
| Waiving the rules. | The poor state of H&S in ports, docks and shipping. (E Gates) | RoSPA Occup Safety & Health Journal 2002 32(2):34-36,38-39 |
| New HSE books catalogue. | The free catalogue lists available publications, videos and CD-ROMS. | Cat 34/01/2 HSE Tel:01787-881165 Safety Management 2002 (Feb):2 |
| Associated British Ports fined £170,000 after dockyard fatality. | Fined £170,000 + £70,000 costs. Contractor killed by 1 tonne strut. No safe system of work and inadequate training and instruction. | Safety Management 2002 (Feb):12 |
| Farm worker wins £2.7 million compensation for roof fall injury. | Brain-damaged following a fall through a fragile asbestos farm roof at Cheesbrough & Sons Ltd. No fall protection, training or instruction. | Safety Management 2002 (Feb):16 |
| Building for the future. | A review of the main changes to the revised ACoP for the CDM Regs 1994. (B Kisby) | HSG224 HSE Isbn 0-7176-2139-1 £9.50 Safety Management 2002 (Feb):18-19 |
| Carpet making firm fined £45,000. | Carpets of Kidderminster Ltd fined £45,000 + £4,331 costs. Injured when clothing was caught in a machine. No RA or guarding. | Safety Management 2002 (Feb):28 |
| Death of fitter leads to £75,000 fine. | Glynwed Pipesystems Ltd fined £75,000 + £6,735 costs. Killed when a chain which was holding up the frame of a conveyor broke. Inadequate RA. | Safety Management 2002 (Feb):30 |
| Tackling noise in the workplace. | Steps to protect staff from excessive noise, including reducing noise at source and suitable hearing protection. | Safety Management 2002 (Feb):32-34,36,38,40 |
| HSE gets tough on recreational diving as deaths increase. | In 2001 deaths during recreational dives increased to 5 whilst 11 Prohibition Notices and 2 Improvement Notices were issued. | HSE Press Release E023:02 7/2/02 |
| HSE publishes revised advice on first aid at work. | The revised guidance covers resuscitation, bleeding, broken bones, burns and eye injuries. | INDG347 Free HSE Tel:01787-881165 HSE Press Release E024:02 8/2/02 |
| HSE publishes review of Magnox Electric's decommissioning strategy. | Considers the technical and financial aspects of the strategy for decommissioning the 9 Magnox power stations. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/nsd/magdecom.pdf HSE Press Release E025:02 11/2/02 |
| Human factors in chemical industries examined in new HSE reports. | Four new reports emphasise the importance of reducing the risks from human failure in high hazard industries. | CRR348 CRR328 CRR314 CRR345 Tel:01787 881165 HSE Press Release E033:02 21/2/02 |
| HSE announces initial response to London Underground safety case. | The response is an 'Issue Log' compiled by HMRI following initial assessment of LUL's safety case documents. | HSE Press Release E034:02 19/2/02 |
| New injury reduction targets for food and drink industries. | The HSE, the Food and Drink Fed and the trade unions have agreed injury reduction targets in line with the Revitalising H&S Strategy Statement 2000. | HSC Newsletter 2002 (141)Feb:3 |
| Measuring vibration levels on tractors. | A pilot study to measure Whole-Body Vibration levels in a range of modern agricultural tractors. | CRR413 Isbn 0-7176-2276-2 £20 HSE Tel:01787 881165 HSE Press Release E026:02 12/2/02 |
| HSE updates review of London Underground's preparation for PPP. | HSE's revised plan for reviewing the last stage of LUL's move to a Public Private Partnership. | 'H&S Review of LU prep for the PPP' (Rev 1) Feb 2002 Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/railway/lul2.pdf HSE Press Release E028:02 13/2/02 |
| Commission consults on train Protection Regulations. | The HSC has begun informal consultation on the form of regulations for the European Train Protection System. | HSC Press Release C004:02 13/2/02 |
| Extraordinary scenes in new HSE diving video launched at London International Dive Show. (2-3 March 2002) | The video will describe actions required in the event of a diving incident, first aid and what happens when the emergency services take over. | HSE Press Release E022:02 14/2/02 |
| Health & Safety Executive delivers first report on construction summit action plans. | The targets set at the 2001 summit including, reduction of fatalities and major injuries, work related ill health and days lost. | 'Progress report.' Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/spd/pdf/summit.pdf HSE Press Release E029:02 15/2/02 |
| HSC consults on laws on explosive atmospheres, petrol and ... old cinema films! | Proposals for new Dangerous Subs & Explosive Atmospheres Regs. The modernisation of petrol legislation and removal of celluloid and cinematographic film legislation. | Internet: www.hse.gov.uk/hse/condocs/ HSC Press Release C005:02 18/2/02 |
| Lynsdale Holdings Ltd | Fined £5,000 under HASAWA 1974 s3. Care home resident died falling from a window. All windows were unrestricted and not fitted with limiters. | HSE Prosecution Case F130000319 (3/1/02) |
| Bryant Homes North West Ltd | Fined £35,000 under CHSWR 1996 / MHSWR1999. Seven injured falling 3m when 2nd floor joist hangers failed, after being overloaded with blocks. | HSE Prosecution Case F170000348 (4/1/02) |
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Whilst every effort is taken to ensure that H&S News entries are an accurate summary of the source data, at the time of publication on the HASTAM website, HASTAM cannot accept any responsibility for errors or omissions in transcription. Further, HASTAM cannot accept any responsibility for the content of the information to be found in the source materials.
HASTAM cannot accept any liability for any events arising from the use of this information. We strongly recommend that, if any information from any H&S News entry is to be used for any specific purpose, the original source is checked to confirm accuracy and to enable the user to take account of the full information. This is particularly important in the case of HSE Prosecutions where the HSE may have withdrawn a specific entry subsequent to its publication in H&S News. Entries can be checked using the search facility on www.hse-databases.co.uk/prosecutions
For copyright reasons we cannot make the articles themselves available.
HSE Prosecutions Database
The HSE did not post prosecutions for about a year from January until November 2006. There is therefore be a gap in our database from a hearing date of 24 January 2006 until 1 November 2006. Anyone not finding a case which may have been heard between January and November 2006, should therefore try searching the HSE Prosecutions database.
When the HSE relaunched the Prosecution database in January 2007, after a break of around a year, they appear to have changed the format of the case numbers. Therefore, for all entries with a hearing date before the 24 January 2006 you should search the HSE database using the defendants name instead of the case number we have quoted if you wish to check details for yourself.